Cassius hated carriages. They jostled about regardless of the kind of path they rode, and, unlike simply riding a horse, he never knew when larger bumps were coming. Unfortunately, he hadn’t yet taught Adrian how to ride horses, so they didn’t have a choice in the matter.

“I will teach you starting tomorrow. We will pick up the necessary gear today as well.” He pulled a book from one of the carriage’s compartments and started flipping through it purposefully.

To Adrian, Cassius looked to be pouting which he found quite adorable.

It was sunny with a light breeze that carried what he could only describe as ‘green’ in and out of the carriage’s open windows. Adrian found himself paying more attention to the way the sun’s rays streamed into the carriage. The light left Cassius’s hair near white, yet it couldn’t seem to leave even a glint in his dark eyes.

“Is there something on my face?”

“No,” Adrian quickly shook his head and averted his gaze.

Cassius nodded and went back to pouring through book.

Adrian looked out the window. It had taken a surprising amount of time to clear the palace grounds, past which was a dense patch of woods.

Once they were clear of the trees, Adrian stared in silent wonder. From what he could tell, the palace sat at the highest point. He could make out silhouettes of buildings making constant rings that left the illusion of a spiral the lower they got. He was grateful for the straight cobbled road they followed, positive that if they went down the winding roads that he’d get dizzy.

The buildings they passed thereafter were bunched up side by side with next to no grass. They were made of brick and stone and almost all of them had open windows with plants he’d never seen before hanging off the windowsills.

The roads were wide and accustomed to large carriages with sidewalks dedicated to pedestrians, who often walked in the streets as well. From the way drivers accommodated them, it seemed to be expected. However, if they’d been in Senoho, there would have been bodies in the streets.

Looking at their clothes, Adrian began to realize not only how different their fashion was from Senosolvia, but also how different Cassius’s fashion was from his own countrymen. Men he saw mostly wore slacks, vests, and button-down shirts with patterned ties. The women wore dresses that ranged from patterned and billowy to loose and fitted with bits of braided fabric. While most were well dressed, it was easy to see who was a servant. Many had jackets on their arms or bags in tow.

Cassius spent his days in too big shirts and soft pants. His favorite thing to wear was a short-sleeved hooded tunic clearly acquired in a different country. It was a soft muted green with red stitching and fire crests on the back.

It all seemed so different from his own country. The weather here afforded a wider freedom of garb. When he was young, he was stuck in layers dull colors of breathable linens. His mother was a star though with her brightly covered pants, cropped shirts, and flowing scarves. The men would wear equally flashy slit tunics and pants whose colors took after the brightest fires.

The carriage began to slow as they entered the city square, shops swept the entirety of the space with a multi-tiered marble fountain in the center of it all. Water seemed to pour out of and return to a large deep blue stone floating at the very top of the structure.

Adrian stared at, wondering how it worked.

“There is a large sapphire at the top. It has been infused with Aether and Power along with an incantation to make it work,” Cassius supplied. He opened the carriage door and stepped out.

Adrian followed, “Sapphire? Like the jewel?”

“Yes, the jewel,” he clarified as he tucked the book under his arm.

Adrian let out a low whistle, “That’s insane.”

“Well,” Cassius started walking, lazily brushing off the footman that tried to accompany them with the wave of a hand, “jewels are the most effective way to control the Arcana. Sapphire is best for Water affinity.”

Darrius had mentioned the Arcana back in Senoho as well. Adrian figured now was a good time to ask, “What’s the Arcana?”

Cassius seemed confused by the question, “Have you not heard of it?”

“Nope.”

“I see...” he stopped in front of a shop. “There are eight houses of magic, we call them the Arcana.”

“And by affinity you mean...”

“When I say affinity, I am referring to one of the eight houses.”

“The eight houses being?” Adrian felt like he was pulling teeth. Cassius could go on for hours about the anatomy of a good spear, but magic seemed like the last thing he wanted to talk about.

“Fire, Water, Life, Light, Void, Lightning, Power, and Aether.” He added, “If you have further questions, I suggest you ask Darrius. He designed the fountain in the square.”

Adrian gaped at that. He shouldn’t have been surprised. Darrius had guised himself to look like a Senosolvian blueblood, what was building a dancing fountain for someone like that?

He followed Cassius into the shop. The smell of leather struck him before anything else. All the square’s shops had the same stone exterior, but this shops interior was a rich polished wood. Spools of cloth lined one wall, the opposite wall was covered in helmets, boots, gloves, and other riding equipment. There were wooden models sprinkled in between clothing racks sporting tight pants and jackets. Accessories littered spaces near mirrors and any free space that the owner could find.

Adrian made his way through the racks, “Wow, you weren’t joking about the whole teaching thing, were you?”

“No,” Cassius looked through some of the clothing, and wrote more information in the book from earlier.

A female clerk materialized from seemingly nowhere and greeted them with a too wide smile, “Good morning, young men!” Her dark hair was neatly done up in a bun, and her tannish complexion had only the slightest hint of blush. Her clothes were plain, a white blouse and blue skirt. She also had a cord hanging off her shoulder.

Cassius hummed a greeting, still focused on his book. He showed a page to the clerk, “Do you still have this in stock?”

Adrian looked to the page as well. It was filled with clothing.

“We do!” she gushed, “Though, that catalogue is a little out of date. We have new stock in as of a few months ago. Would you like the updated catalogue?”

“I would, thank you.” He handed her the book and waited for her to bring a new one back.

“You just... have a book like that on hand?” Adrian asked, all be it incredulously.

“Is it not common in Senosolvia?”

Adrian shrugged. He hadn’t exactly been able to walk around and see the growth of the place he’d grown up in. Even when he’d left with Darrius, it had been under the cover of dark.

The woman came back with an even thicker book, “Who are we shopping for today?”

Cassius gestured toward Adrian, already looking over the book’s new inventory.

“Alright,” she took the cord from her shoulders and moved closer, “Would you mind holding out your arms?”

Adrian stepped back to regain his personal space, “What?”

“She needs to take your measurements.”

Adrian bristled at the idea of someone that close to him, “I can take them myself.”

She looked apologetic. Cassius interrupted whatever she was going to say, “No, you cannot.”

“Can’t I just try things on and figure it out?”

“Equestrian gear works best when it is made to measure,” he closed the book, his tone even, “moreover, we will need them for your other clothes.”

“My other...” It finally dawned on him why they were here today. Cassius was taking him clothes shopping. His weird question from yesterday suddenly made a lot more sense now.

Cassius took a slow step toward him, his voice was low, “Would you trust me to do it?”

He looked away from the prince, “I don’t know.”

Cassius held out a hand to the clerk and she handed him the cord, “They have a private room. Would you like to find out?”